1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved food processor kitchen appliance which possesses the added capability of whipping cream, egg whites, and the like.
The use of food processors has attained surprisingly wide usage in a relatively short span of years. Devices of this kind, of which there are many brands on the market, are admirably capable of rapidly and effectively performing a wide range of food preparation functions including slicing, shredding, chopping, kneading, mincing and the like. Also, while attempts have been made to whip food products such as cream or egg whites in food processors, no food processor is known which can effectively perform the whipping function in a manner that yields a high volume product of uniform consistency and/or which does not adversely degrade the food product such as occurs when the liquid food is overwhipped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, the whipping of liquid food products to produce, for example, whipped cream or meringue, has been prepared by conventional stirring mechanisms or beaters, most frequently an electric or hand beater. Careful attention has been required to obtain a superior product. Such prior art means have involved a relatively tedious process and have yielded a product which is often less than optimum, i.e., the product is often either overwhipped, resulting in a partially degraded product, or the product is underwhipped, resulting in a relatively low yield having a "heavy" rather than "fluffy" texture. In both cases, the resulting whipped food product is frequently substantially inferior to the desired optimum product.
Attempts have also been made to use a standard commercially available food processor to prepare whipped cream and/or egg white, etc. However, such efforts have not met with significant success. To a large extent, the inability to produce whipped food products in a conventional type food processor, presently in use in the home or commercial kitchen, is due to the incapability of presently available blades to introduce air into the food product as it rotates, and also to the high rate of rotation of the mixing blades which causes degradation of the whipped food product. All past efforts to overcome these deficiencies have not met with significant success. Consequently, no food processor is known which has the capability of producing a high volume whipped food product having a consistently uniform texture and which, by its manner of functioning, can effectively whip cream or egg whites without overwhipping the product.
It is thus apparent that a need exists for a food processor, with the capability of producing a whipped food, such as whipped cream and meringue, which consistently produces a high volume product and which avoids the degrading effect of overwhipping.